The injustice to which Jacob Zuma has been subjected by the prosecuting authorities and the media has reached a point where it violates my sense of fair play.

He is parodied, besmirched and denigrated as all that is distasteful and even disgusting in society and politics.

Yet the only proven transgression that I can find is the fact that, with a layman’s naivety on matters medical, he took a shower after un- protected sex to “cleanse himself”. Is this a crime?

But let us have a look at his other transgressions. Judge Hilary Squires, on finding Schabir Shaik guilty of corruption, alleged that a corrupt relationship existed between Shaik and Zuma. This was primarily on the basis of a letter sent by Zuma to Gavin Woods, the chairman of the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), to question the decision of Scopa to investigate the background to the awarding of the armament contracts.

Zuma was not on trial and had yet to be proven guilty of any wrong- doing. Subsequently, it emerged that Thabo Mbeki had “sanctioned” the letter. To me this means that he saw the letter and sanction is tantamount to affixing his signature to it.

We have also heard Mbeki’s office tango around the question of whether he met with Thomson CSF (now Thales) in December 1998. I was a high commissioner for SA from 1995-99. I can tell you exactly whom I met, for what reason, for each and every day of that time. Does a deputy president not keep a diary?

On the basis of Judge Squires’ comments, Zuma was fired by Mbeki. The media went into an orgy of celebration last seen when SA won the Rugby World Cup.

Did anybody stop to think that Zuma had not been convicted of anything? That Mbeki had never before fired any cabinet member? That Mbeki has hidden behind the “innocent until proved guilty” plea whenever any crony was under investigation or proved incompetent?

Zuma is accused of rape and the media goes into feeding frenzy. But to the horror of all Mbekiites and white racists, the most transparent and publicly analysed trial in the history of SA finds Zuma unquestionably innocent on all counts.

What to do now? Keep up the pressure on the impending corruption trial, of course. Now we hear that the office of public prosecutions is not ready to go to court!

How would you react if you were in Zuma’s shoes? Would you not demand that charges pending for four years and eventually brought against you over a year ago be dropped due to lack of evidence? If the evidence is there, why not go to court?

I am not a Zuma man, or anybody’s man, but in this case fair play dictates that “justice delayed is justice denied”. And if you cannot put up, please shut up!

Carl Werth, Waterkloof

With acknowledgement to Carl Werth and Business Day.